Baltimore police said officers shot a bull that had escaped from a city slaughterhouse on a downtown street.Mobile users tap here for videoPolice spokeswoman Sgt. Sarah Connolly said the animal was fatally shot shortly after 10:15 a.m. Friday at the intersection of Charles and Biddle streets in the Mount Vernon neighborhood.Connolly said slaying the animal was a move that was necessary for public safety.The bull escaped from a slaughterhouse in west Baltimore. Slaughterhouse officials told 11 News that a second bull attempted to escape, but it never made it over a fence at the facility."One got out, jumped over the big fence over there, then came down and jumped over there, hopped Franklin Street and headed on out," slaughterhouse employee William Whitfield said.Whitfield described a determined, athletic animal."He jumped over the police car, clear," Whitfield said.The steer traveled nearly two miles to Mount Vernon.Connolly said the department was flooded with calls about the animal running loose in the streets, including from concerned business owners. The neighborhood is home to numerous bars, restaurants and shops.Several 11 News viewers wrote in about the incident, many of whom said they saw the bull on North Avenue. Those with photos or videos should send them to ulocal.People could hardly believe their eyes as they saw the animal hoof it down the street. Robert Queen captured a video of the bull trotting down the street just after 10 a.m. and posted it to Instagram."I was just surprised. This is unusual. This is not what should be expected on a weekday morning in downtown Baltimore," Eric Long said."I was on Mount Royal Terrace and then all of a sudden, I look up I was at a stop light and a bull is just crossing right by as if it's a regular human crossing the cross walk," Lauren Vaught said.The bull was a 750-pound steer."People were hitting the deck and jumping on the steps, and I was like, 'Jeez, is this really happening here?'" Adam Palmer said.Police said they tried to corral the animal."There’s this whole (line) of police cars following that bull. No sirens, but all their lights were flashing," Long said.On Preston Street, police fired."I heard two shots, ran up to this corner, heard two more shots, and saw the cow fall against the truck," Terrence Smith said.Police said they killed the animal out of concern for public safety, and the Maryland Cattleman's Association didn't question that, noting that a large, frightened and angry animal can do harm.The scene looked like a crime scene, complete with shell casings and yellow tape."Seeing the animal galloping down the street about to hit Charles Street, you knew something was wrong, but the gunshots are what freaked me out," Palmer said.What happened Friday was rare but does have precedence. In west Baltimore in 2002, a loose bull from a slaughterhouse on Pennsylvania Avenue was taken down by a police SWAT team.In that incident, officials said a SWAT team and crews from the slaughterhouse were able to corner the steer to try to tranquilize it, but SWAT officers ended up shooting and killing it because it charged them after becoming angry at the tranquilizer attempts.It's unclear so far if there were any attempts Friday to tranquilize the bull. It's also unclear if that bull escaped from the same slaughterhouse as the steer from the 2002 incident.Stay with WBALTV.com and 11 News for more details as they become available.11 News reporter Jayne Miller contributed to this report. Mobile users tap here for photos10047516

BALTIMORE —

Baltimore police said officers shot a bull that had escaped from a city slaughterhouse on a downtown street.

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Police spokeswoman Sgt. Sarah Connolly said the animal was fatally shot shortly after 10:15 a.m. Friday at the intersection of Charles and Biddle streets in the Mount Vernon neighborhood.

Connolly said slaying the animal was a move that was necessary for public safety.

The bull escaped from a slaughterhouse in west Baltimore. Slaughterhouse officials told 11 News that a second bull attempted to escape, but it never made it over a fence at the facility.

"One got out, jumped over the big fence over there, then came down and jumped over there, hopped Franklin Street and headed on out," slaughterhouse employee William Whitfield said.

Whitfield described a determined, athletic animal.

"He jumped over the police car, clear," Whitfield said.

The steer traveled nearly two miles to Mount Vernon.

Connolly said the department was flooded with calls about the animal running loose in the streets, including from concerned business owners. The neighborhood is home to numerous bars, restaurants and shops.

Several 11 News viewers wrote in about the incident, many of whom said they saw the bull on North Avenue. Those with photos or videos should send them to ulocal.

People could hardly believe their eyes as they saw the animal hoof it down the street. Robert Queen captured a video of the bull trotting down the street just after 10 a.m. and posted it to Instagram.

"I was just surprised. This is unusual. This is not what should be expected on a weekday morning in downtown Baltimore," Eric Long said.

"I was on Mount Royal Terrace and then all of a sudden, I look up I was at a stop light and a bull is just crossing right by as if it's a regular human crossing the cross walk," Lauren Vaught said.

The bull was a 750-pound steer.

"People were hitting the deck and jumping on the steps, and I was like, 'Jeez, is this really happening here?'" Adam Palmer said.

Police said they tried to corral the animal.

"There’s this whole (line) of police cars following that bull. No sirens, but all their lights were flashing," Long said.

On Preston Street, police fired.

"I heard two shots, ran up to this corner, heard two more shots, and saw the cow fall against the truck," Terrence Smith said.

Police said they killed the animal out of concern for public safety, and the Maryland Cattleman's Association didn't question that, noting that a large, frightened and angry animal can do harm.

The scene looked like a crime scene, complete with shell casings and yellow tape.

"Seeing the animal galloping down the street about to hit Charles Street, you knew something was wrong, but the gunshots are what freaked me out," Palmer said.

What happened Friday was rare but does have precedence. In west Baltimore in 2002, a loose bull from a slaughterhouse on Pennsylvania Avenue was taken down by a police SWAT team.

In that incident, officials said a SWAT team and crews from the slaughterhouse were able to corner the steer to try to tranquilize it, but SWAT officers ended up shooting and killing it because it charged them after becoming angry at the tranquilizer attempts.

It's unclear so far if there were any attempts Friday to tranquilize the bull. It's also unclear if that bull escaped from the same slaughterhouse as the steer from the 2002 incident.

Stay with WBALTV.com and 11 News for more details as they become available.